Johnny Manziel Playing With First Team Offense

While it’s still open for debate whether or not Johnny Manziel will be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in week one, he’s slowly inching his way to that point.

Per The Chronicle-Telegram, Manziel will share first team reps with Brian Hoyer this weekend, when the Browns battle the Washington Redskins in their second preseason game. It hasn’t been made clear exactly how long either player will get in the game, but both are expected to operate under center with the first team starters.

Manziel has arguably earned the right to get some time with the first team, as he looked sharp and confident last week in his pro debut. Manziel even arguably out-played Hoyer, as he completed 7 of 11 passes for 63 yards and also racked up 27 rushing yards on six carries. Hoyer and Manziel both suffered from some drops by receivers, but Hoyer was still less accurate, as two passes sailed on him and he finish his first preseason game of 2014 by completing just six of 14 pass attempts.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine has yet to decide on an official starter for the game, but has admitted that both quarterbacks will get their fair share of time with the ones. Manziel has seemingly been held back so far in the race, as the team appears to want to give him every chance to feel as comfortable as possible as he tries to win the starting gig as a rookie.

It’s debatable whether or not Cleveland is going about it completely the right way, however, as Manziel has displayed superior upside and overall has looked like the better player. Hoyer may need an outstanding performance against the Redskins to keep his name in the running, as Pettine is expected to decide on his 2014 starting quarterback by the third preseason game.

If Cleveland Browns fans have any hope of seeing their team making the playoffs this year or even just improve markedly from where they’ve been in recent years, they may cross their fingers Manziel shows well this weekend and wins the job.